NANNING — Construction of a railway linking China and Thailand is expected to begin by the end of this year, said Thai Deputy Prime Minister Tanasak Patimapragorn.

During the 12th China-ASEAN Expo in the southern Chinese city of Nanning, Patimapragorn told Xinhua that the project would be the first standard gauge railway in Thailand with a total length of 840 kilometers. It will be an important mode of transport of goods and people between China and Thailand, through Lao PDR.

The railway from Kunming, Yunnan province, will connects Thailand’s Nong Khai province with Bangkok and Rayong province.

Patimapragorn said the railway could bring about the establishment of special economic zones.

China is Thailand’s largest trading partner, with a total trade volume of $63.6 billion in 2014, according to him.